Finding the Perfect Balance Between Your Property and Your Custom-Built Dream Home: Feng Shui Principles

As mentioned in last week’s blog regarding finding the perfect balance between property and home when orienting a new custom-built home, location is everything when creating the balance. The principles of applying Feng shui, the Chinese philosophy of creating harmony with one’s environment, add another level of attention to how the home is positioned on the property, further explaining how the negative energies (explained by Feng shui), “Si Chi” and “Sha-Chi” can impact the entire homestead. Good Feng shui means good energy and good health for the property owners.

When it comes to Feng shui in the home, most people focus on the interior: colors, door/ window positioning, bed location, kitchen/ bathroom relationship, corners, etc. But the first step in welcoming Chi (in Chinese, meaning aliveness or life force) into the home is to assess the Chi quality of the land itself upon which the house is located. Basic assessment of the property starts with pure intuitive emotion: how does it look and feel; as the current or future landowner, does it evoke a positive, welcoming emotion or negative, anxiety-inducing?

Positive Feng shui principles, as they relate to property and good health for the homestead include the following:

• Healthy foliage, land that is lush, vibrant and full of life
• Breathing room around the home, particularly around the front, allowing Chi energy to gather
• Backyard slightly larger than the front, allows for the energy of wealth to communicate
• The backyard should have good “backing” (mountain energy in Feng shui), with land higher than it is in the front to offer the home protection
• Right side of the house should be slightly higher than the left, to allow for good support and prosperity
• A body of water (river, lake or well-tended pond), particularly in the front of the home
• Curved lines are important inside and out, as it allows for energy to flow and refresh throughout the property and home; straight lines encourage a forceful rush of energy

Once the positioning of the home on the property is determined, a few other principles as they relate to the flow of energy into the home from the exterior place are of paramount importance on the main entrance:

• A clear pathway to the front door; clutter inside or outside blocks Chi energy
• A strong front door or entrance is of particular importance, as this is how the home receives its Chi, or energy nourishment; homeowners should feel happy with the approach, receiving a welcoming energy, paying attention to landscaping, door size and color

Good landscaping and architectural considerations can often compensate for any Chi deficiencies in the natural order of the property. For example, a flat piece of land that disallows the right side of the home to be slightly higher than the left can be remedied with chimney placement or planting a large tree on the right side. When building a lifetime dream home, why not delve into the ancient Chinese philosophy of Feng shui to help achieve a lifetime of harmony and balance in your home?